COMPACT DUAL FEEDERS FOR CIRCUIT BREAKERS AND RELATED BUCKETS AND MOTOR CONTROL CENTERS (MCCs)

ABSTRACT

Dual starters and/or feeders are positioned in a unit housing to be offset from one another in a front to back direction to provide a compact configuration for a MCC cabinet. The dual starters or feeders can communicate with a respective external handle attached to an inwardly oriented shaft. The handles can be rotary handles that connect to a respective gear assembly that transforms rotational input to linear input.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/535,447, filed Nov. 7, 2014, which claims the benefit of and priorityto U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/948,867, filed Mar. 6, 2014,the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference as if recitedin full herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to motor control center units.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As is known to those of skill in the art, Motor Control Centers (MCC)can include cabinets or enclosures that hold multiple, typicallymodular, bucket assemblies or units of various sizes. See, e.g., U.S.Pat. No. 4,024,441, the contents of which are hereby incorporated byreference as if recited in full herein. Eaton Corporation has recentlyintroduced a MCC product line with compact bucket assemblies thatconveniently plug into a slot or space in an MCC cabinet. The product issold under the product name, Freedom 2100 MCC. See also, U.S. PatentApplication Publication Serial Number US2013/0077210, the contents ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference as if recited in full herein.

The bucket assemblies (also known as “buckets” or “units”) can includehandles that are disposed on the front door. The handle can be a rotaryhandle configured to convert the rotary motion of the rotary handle tothe linear or translational motion of a circuit breaker linear actionlever. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,194,983 and 7,186,933, the contentsof which are incorporated by reference as if recited in full herein. Thehandle is typically mounted parallel with the plane of the faceplate ofthe molded case circuit breaker, but spaced outwardly from it by thedepth of the handle mechanism. Usually, a series of linkages areutilized to interconnect the rotary motion of the rotary handle to thelinear motion of the circuit breaker handle or lever.

Despite the above, there remains a need for alternate bucket assemblyconfigurations.

SUMMARY OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the invention provide compact dual feeders for bucketassemblies.

Embodiments of the invention are directed to bucket assemblies thatinclude: (a) a unit housing having a front; (b) a first external handlefacing the front of the housing and attached to a first inwardlyextending shaft; (c) a second external handle facing the front of thehousing and attached to a second inwardly extending shaft and beinglaterally spaced apart from the first external handle; (d) a firstfeeder held in the unit housing in communication with the first handle;and (e) a second feeder held in the unit housing in communication withthe second handle. The first feeder is held in the unit housing adjacentto but offset from the second feeder, in a front to back direction, toreside closer to the front of the unit housing than the second feeder.

The first and second feeders can be right and left side feeders thathave primary bodies that reside laterally spaced apart a distance ofbetween about 1-3 inches, measured from adjacent inwardly facing sidesextending in the front to back direction.

The first and second feeders can have primary bodies that reside spacedapart in the front to back direction so that a rear surface of one is adistance of between about 1-3 inches from a front surface of the other.

The first feeder can be a right side feeder and the second feeder can bea left side feeder. The unit housing can have a right sidewall that hasan open portion allowing an exit access path for conductors from thefirst and second feeders to a right side vertical wireway.

The first feeder can be a right side feeder and the second feeder can bea left side feeder. The left side feeder can reside closer to the frontof the unit housing than the right side feeder. The first shaft of the(first) right side feeder can have a length that is between about 1.5times to about 5 times greater than that of the left side feeder.

The bucket assembly can include a terminal block residing in the unithousing adjacent a side of a primary body of the first feeder.

The first and second feeders can have respective primary bodies ofsubstantially the same size and shape. The primary bodies can belaterally offset from each other a distance of between 0.5-3 inches andoffset in the front to back direction between about 0.5-5 inches. Thefirst feeder can be held by a bracket attached to a rear wall of theunit housing, the bracket defining a wireway space extending laterallybehind the first feeder primary body. The terminal block can resideadjacent to but behind the first feeder in line with the bracketwireway.

Both offsets can be between about 1-3 inches.

The bucket assembly may include pre-installed conductors attached to thesecond feeder and extending to the terminal block.

The first and second feeders can have conductor connectors facing avertical wireway. The first feeder can be held in the unit housing by afirst bracket attached to a rear surface of a primary body of the firstfeeder. The first bracket can be configured to define an open laterallyextending space behind the first feeder that defines an internallaterally extending wireway for conductors attached to the second feederto a vertical wireway.

The handles can be external rotary handles having a defined ON positionand OFF position associated with conduction and non-conduction. An innerportion of the first and second shafts can cooperably engage arespective first and second operator mechanism that engage a respectivelever or switch of the circuit breaker or fuse disconnect. The first andsecond operator mechanisms can include a rotatable drive gear attachedto the shaft that engages a rack gear that linearly moves an operatorslider to move the lever or switch.

The first and second feeders may include molded case circuit breakers.

The unit housing can have a centerline that extends in the front to backdirection, aligned with a center, power stab extending out a back of theunit housing. The first and second feeders can have primary bodiesarranged so that one resides in a right side and one that resides in aleft side of the unit housing and so that an inward facing wall of theright side primary body resides closer to the center power stab than aninward facing wall of the left side primary body.

The first feeder can be a left side feeder and the second feeder can bea right side feeder and each feeder can have respective primary feederbodies. The first and second handles can be rotatable handles. Thesecond shaft can be longer than the first shaft and the right sidefeeder can reside further away from the front of the unit housing thanthe left side feeder. The bucket can also include a first bracketattached to a back of the unit housing and the primary body of the firstfeeder and a second bracket attached to the back of the unit housing andthe primary body of the second feeder. The second bracket can define alaterally extending wireway space in the unit housing extending behindthe second feeder for conductors attached to the primary body of thefirst feeder to a right side vertical wireway. The second bracket canhave a smaller depth dimension in the front to back direction than thefirst bracket.

Other embodiments are directed to compact dual feeder bucket assemblies.The assemblies include: (a) a unit housing; (b) right and left sidemolded case circuit breakers that have substantially the same size andshape; (c) right and left side external handles that are aligned andheld by the unit housing that translate based on conduction andnon-conduction status of a respective breaker in the unit housing, and(d) first and second inwardly extending shafts, the first shaft attachedto the right side handle and the second shaft attached to the left sidehandle. One shaft is longer than the other shaft by between about 1.5times (1.5×) to about five times (5×), e.g., about two times (2×), about3× or about 4×, for example.

The right side and left side circuit breakers can have a lever facing afront of the unit housing. The right side circuit breaker can residecloser to the front of the unit housing than the left side circuitbreaker.

Conductors from the left side circuit breaker can travel straight acrossthe unit housing behind the right side circuit breaker to a right sidevertical wireway.

The right side and left side circuit breakers can have a lever facing afront of the unit housing. The left side circuit breaker can residecloser to the front of the unit housing than the right side circuitbreaker.

Conductors from the left side circuit breaker can bend to travel behindthe right side circuit breaker to a right side vertical wireway.

Still other embodiments are directed to a motor control center (MCC)cabinet with vertically stacked bucket units. At least one bucket canhave first and second external rotary handles with a respective firstand second inwardly extending shaft attached to a respective fusedisconnect or circuit breaker. The first shaft can be between two timesand five times longer than the second shaft. The fuse disconnect can beheld in the unit housing adjacent to but offset from the circuitbreaker, in a front to back direction, to reside closer to a front ofthe bucket than the second feeder.

The cabinet includes a right side vertical wireway. Conductors from theleft side circuit breaker can travel in front of or behind the rightside circuit breaker to the right side vertical wireway.

The bucket assemblies can have a substantially constant widthirrespective of height and the height or frame size of the bucketassemblies can be in 6 inch increments of between about 6 inches toabout 72 inches.

Further features, advantages and details of the present invention willbe appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art from a reading ofthe figures and the detailed description of the preferred embodimentsthat follow, such description being merely illustrative of the presentinvention.

It is noted that aspects of the invention described with respect to oneembodiment, may be incorporated in a different embodiment although notspecifically described relative thereto. That is, all embodiments and/orfeatures of any embodiment can be combined in any way and/orcombination. Applicant reserves the right to change any originally filedclaim or file any new claim accordingly, including the right to be ableto amend any originally filed claim to depend from and/or incorporateany feature of any other claim although not originally claimed in thatmanner. These and other objects and/or aspects of the present inventionare explained in detail in the specification set forth below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an exemplary unit with a dualstarter or feeder (or starter and feeder) configuration according toembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a front view perspective view of the unit shown in FIG. 1,but with the front cover and top housing member removed according toembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2B is a side perspective view of the unit shown in FIG. 1, but withthe top housing member in an exploded view according to embodiments ofthe present invention.

FIG. 3A is a partial exploded view of the unit shown in FIG. 2Aaccording to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3B is a partial top view of the unit shown in FIG. 2B according toembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 4A is a top view of the unit shown in FIG. 3A illustrating anexemplary offset arrangement of dual starters and/or feeders inside theunit according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 4B is an enlarged partial view of the feeders having thearrangement shown in FIG. 4A schematically illustrating a conductorconfiguration to a vertical wireway according to embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 5A is a top view of the unit shown in FIG. 3A illustrating anotherexemplary offset arrangement of the dual starters and/or feeders insidethe unit according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 5B is a side perspective view of the unit shown in FIG. 5Aaccording to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 5C is a bottom perspective view of the unit shown in FIG. 2Billustrating another exemplary offset arrangement of the dualconfiguration according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 6A is a side perspective view of a unit illustrating an exemplaryoffset arrangement of the dual feeders (right side feeder back, leftside feeder forward) with breaker load side terminals according toembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 6B is a side perspective view of a unit with a different offsetarrangement of the dual feeders (left side feeder back, right sidefeeder forward) with breaker load side terminals according toembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged partial side view of the unit shown in FIG. 6Aaccording to embodiments of the present invention.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are front perspective views of an exemplary dual feederunit shown without the front cover, doors and handles to illustrateexemplary operating mechanisms according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIGS. 8C and 8D are front perspective views of an exemplary dual feederunit shown without the front cover, doors and handles to illustrateexemplary operating mechanisms according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 9A is a partial exploded view of an exemplary unit illustratingcomponents of an exemplary operator mechanism according to someembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 9B is a partial exploded view of an exemplary unit illustratingcomponents of an exemplary operator mechanism and fuse system accordingto some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 10A is a bottom view of an exemplary unit with dual feedersaccording to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 10B is a top or bottom view of an exemplary unit with an onboardterminal block adjacent one of the feeders according to embodiments ofthe present invention.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are side perspective views of the terminal block shownin FIG. 10B according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 11C is a top perspective view of the terminal blocks shown in FIGS.11A and 11B with wire attachment members according to embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 12A is a top view of an exemplary terminal block suitable for theonboard terminal block shown in FIG. 10B according to embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 12B is a side view of the terminal block shown in FIG. 12A.

FIG. 12C is an end view of the terminal block shown in FIG. 12A.

FIG. 13 is a front view of an exemplary multi-unit Motor Control Centercabinet according to embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which illustrativeembodiments of the invention are shown. Like numbers refer to likeelements and different embodiments of like elements can be designatedusing a different number of superscript indicator apostrophes (e.g., 10,10′, 10″, 10′″).

In the drawings, the relative sizes of regions or features may beexaggerated for clarity. This invention may, however, be embodied inmany different forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. maybe used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layersand/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/orsections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only usedto distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section fromanother region, layer or section. Thus, a first element, component,region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a secondelement, component, region, layer or section without departing from theteachings of the present invention.

Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath”, “below”, “lower”, “above”,“upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description todescribe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) orfeature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that thespatially relative terms are intended to encompass differentorientations of the device in use or operation in addition to theorientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in thefigures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” otherelements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elementsor features. Thus, the exemplary term “below” can encompass both anorientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented(rotated 90° or at other orientations) and the spatially relativedescriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

The term “about” refers to numbers in a range of +/−20% of the notedvalue.

As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless expressly stated otherwise. Itwill be further understood that the terms “includes,” “comprises,”“including” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification,specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations,elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence oraddition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations,elements, components, and/or groups thereof. It will be understood thatwhen an element is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” toanother element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the otherelement or intervening elements may be present. As used herein, the term“and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of theassociated listed items.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will befurther understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly useddictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of this specification andthe relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overlyformal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

In the present disclosure, the terms “bucket” or “unit” are usedinterchangeably and are intended to mean a motor control center unitthat may be configured to be a removable modular unit capable of beinginstalled behind individual or combined sealed doors on the motorcontrol center enclosure. The unit may contain various motor control andmotor protection components such as motor controllers, starters,contactor assemblies, overload relays, circuit breakers, motor circuitprotectors, various disconnects, and similar devices for electricmotors. The unit is configured to connect to a common power bus of themotor control center and conduct supply power to the line side of themotor control devices for operation of motors or feeder circuits.

As discussed before, units may be configured as “starter units” forsupplying power controlling electrical motors and pumps or as general“feeder units” for supplying feeder circuits. The terms “bucketassembly”, bucket” and “unit” are used interchangeably and refer to ametal structure (typically having sides of a protective metal shell)that contains either a fuse or a circuit breaker for turning power ONand OFF to a motor, or feeder circuit, typically for controlling powerto motor starters. As noted above, the bucket or unit can be a feederunit or a starter unit. The bucket can include other components such asa power transformer, a motor starter to control a single motor and PLCs(programmable logic controllers), drives and the like. The bucket can beconfigured as a modular device to allow the internal components to beassembled as a unit that can be easily installed into a Motor ControlCenter (MCC) compartment. As is well known, the bucket can have a busgrid with “power stabs” 13 (FIG. 1) in the back that connect to(vertical) bus bars that carry power (current) to the compartments of avertical section in an MCC cabinet. The vertical bus bars are connectedto the larger horizontal bus bars that bring power to the verticalsections. The horizontal bus bars are usually in the top, but some MCCdesigns may have them in the center or bottom.

A “feeder unit” refers to a motor control center unit for supplyingfeeder circuits. A feeder unit may have one or more feeders or powersupply lines to supply feeder circuits or devices. A feeder unit (alsocalled a “feeder”) can have a “line side”, which refers to the side ofthe feeder configured to be directly or indirectly connected to thecommon power bus of the motor control center. A feeder can also have a“load side”, which refers to the side of the feeder configured to beconnected to and deliver current to a feeder circuit. A feeder maycomprise a circuit breaker, a fuse and disconnect switch, or anotherconfiguration. The terms “feeder circuit” and “feeder device” are usedinterchangeably and are intended to mean circuits or devices connectedto feeder units or “feeders”.

A “circuit breaker”, “breaker”, “molded case circuit breaker”, or “MCCB”is a device designed to open and close a circuit, typically allowingboth manual open and close operation and automatic circuit operation,the latter to open a circuit based on a set value, e.g., anover-current, without damaging itself when properly applied within itscurrent rating. The circuit breaker can be for a motor starter unit orfeeder unit, for example.

The terms “motor”, “load”, and “load device” are used interchangeablyand are intended to mean devices bearing electrical load that areconnected to and controlled by the motor control center. Load devicesare typically motors but may also be pumps or other machinery that maycomprise motors or pumps. Load devices may be connected to starterunits.

The terms “operating mechanism” and “operator mechanism” are usedinterchangeably and refer to an assembly for opening and closingseparable main contacts in a circuit breaker or for turning power ON andOFF using a switch associated with a fuse.

MCCs usually have a wire way “W” (FIGS. 3B, 4A, 5C) for wires fromrespective units 10 to the motors and other loads and control wires.U.S. Patent Application Publication 2013/0077210 describes an MCC withboth right and left side wireways, the contents of which are herebyincorporated by reference as if recited in full herein. The wireways Ware typically provided as an enclosed space in an MCC cabinet proximatebut outside stacked units. MCCs can be configured in many ways. Eachcompartment can have a different height to accept different frame sizesof respective bucket assemblies or units 10, typically in about 6-inchincrements. The vertical bus can be omitted or not run through the fullheight of the section to accommodate deeper buckets for larger itemslike variable frequency drives. The MCC can be a modular cabinet systemfor powering and controlling motors or feeder circuits. Several may bepowered from main switchgear which, in turn, gets its power from atransformer attached to the incoming line from the power company. Atypical MCC cabinet is an enclosure with a number of small doorsarranged in rows and columns along the front. The back and sides aretypically flat and mostly featureless. The buckets can be provided invarying sizes. For starter units, the size can be based on the size ofthe motor they are controlling. The bucket assembly can be configured tobe relatively easily removable for repair, service or replacement. MCCscan have regular starters, reversing starters, soft start, and variablefrequency drives. MCCs can be configured so that sections can be addedfor expansion if needed.

The terms “right side” and “left side” refer when the unit or MCC isviewed from the front, e.g., the front is associated with the panel 11with handles 20 as shown in FIG. 1. While the handles 20 are shown asrotary handles, other handle configurations may be used, including, forexample, push handles, levers and linearly moveable handles.

The term “compact” refers to units 10 held in a condensed configuration(package) relative to conventional units/buckets. The MCC structure orcabinet 100 (FIG. 13) can be designed to receive multiple bucket units10 ranging in various defined sizes. The units 10 can be provided inpackage or frame sizes of about 6 inches to about 72 inches (tall) withsubstantially common depth and width dimensions, known as 1X (6 inches)to 12X (72 inches) sizes. The sizes can be in single X increments, from1X, 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, 6X, 7X, 8X, 9X, 10X, 11X and 12X. Thus, a 5X MCCunit 10 can be about 30 inches tall. The frame sizes can be provided fora plurality of amperages, including a plurality of: 125A, 150A, 225A,250A, 400A, 600A, 1200A and 2000A, for example. A unit 10 is typicallyabout 7 inches deep but larger or smaller sizes may be appropriate insome embodiments.

Referring now to the figures, FIGS. 1, 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B illustrateexamples of a bucket assembly or unit 10. The bucket assembly 10 can beconfigured for DC (direct current) or AC (alternating current)operation. The bucket assembly 10 can include a front cover 11 and a tophousing 10 t. The bucket assembly can include at least one door 22 underthe front cover 11. The bucket assembly 10 can have a metal outer frameor housing 12.

In some embodiments, the bucket assembly 10 can comprise a molded casecircuit breaker. Molded case circuit breakers are well known to those ofskill in the art, as exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,503,408 and5,910,760, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference asif recited in full herein. In other embodiments, the bucket assembly 10can be configured to house a fuse system 10 f (FIG. 9B) with a fusedisconnect switch to turn power on and off. In some embodiments, the MCCcabinet 100 (FIG. 13) can hold both fuse and circuit breaker type units10 and each can have a standardized rotary handle 20 that controls theinternal components for power on/off operation.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B, the unit 10 typically includestwo side-by-side (e.g., tandem) handles 20 that individually communicatewith respective internal disconnect or operator mechanisms 40, 40′ that,in turn, connect to a circuit breaker 10 c (FIGS. 3A, 3B) or a fuseddisconnect switch 10 f (FIG. 9B), respectively. The handles 20 can berotary handles and may optionally include a lock out lever 20L. As iswell known to those of skill in the art, a lock out lever 20L has achannel that accepts an arm of a padlock to extend therethrough andallows a padlock to be attached to the handle 20 to inhibit movement ofthe handle to another operational state.

The unit 10 can be configured so that a left side stab 13L or right sidestab 13R (and/or the center stab 13C) is closer to a respective left orright side of the unit 10, shown as at distances X₁>X₂, so that thecenter stab 13C resides closer to the right side of the unit and/orright side housing wall 12 relative to the left side housing wall 12.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the unit 10 can include dual feeders F₁, F₂that include a molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) 10 c that can beoperated by an operating handle mechanism 40 commonly called the“op-meth” or “operator mechanism”. This op-mech 40 can be configured tomount over an internal lever associated with a switch or the breaker'sintegral lever 90 (FIG. 3B, 4A). The op-mech 40 allows a user to operatethe circuit breaker 10 c with the door 22 of the motor control centerunit 10 closed. The doors 22 can include visual indicia 22 i or textthat identifies an operational status by position, e.g., Reset “R”, OFF,TRIPPED and ON. The TRIPPED text may be omitted for fuse systems.

It is noted that for ease of discussion, the use of two feeders in arespective unit are used by way of example. A feeder can be replacedwith a starter and any unit 10 can include two starter circuits, twofeeder circuits or a starter and a feeder, for example. Thus, as usedherein, the designations “F₁” and “F₂” refer to the internal starterand/or feeder device.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2B and 3A, the rotary handles 20 extend through acutout 11 w in the cover panel 11 and an inwardly extending shaft 25extends through a port 25 p in each motor control center unit door 22(FIG. 9A). The handle 20 can have other forms as noted above, such as,but not limited to, a linear operating handle. The shaft 25 can beconfigured to operate an ON/OFF switch or lever 90 and FIG. 9Billustrates an example of an operator mechanism 40′ modified from thatof the circuit breaker op-mech 40 for a fuse disconnect.

For a circuit breaker configuration 10 c, the handle 20 can move betweencircuit breaker conduction to circuit breaker non-conduction. Where arotating handle is used, typically, there is about a 90° rotation fromconduction to non-conduction (“OFF” to “ON”) but other definedrotational stroke distances may be used including, for example, about 45degrees, about 120 degrees, or about 180 degrees. For a fuse disconnect,a similar rotation can be used to cause the ON/OFF.

Optionally, the handle 20 can be configured to turn about 90 degrees inall different breaker sizes in a single MCC cabinet 100 (FIG. 13) thatcan provide standardized visual output of “on/off” and can allow forstandardized components between different assemblies 10.

As is known to those of skill in the art, conductors/wires attached tothe starters and/or feeders F₁, F₂ to customer (e.g., load side)connections in the wireway W can be subject to bending restraintsdefined by wire size to comply with industrial control guidelines suchas NEC rules for both L and S bends such as UL (UnderwritersLaboratories) 845. Embodiments of the invention provide units 10 withadjacent dual (e.g., independently operable but tandem) starters and/orfeeders F₁, F₂ connected to respective side-by-side handles 20, with thebody of one of the circuit breakers 10 c and/or fused disconnectswitches 10 f offset from the body of the other circuit breaker 10 cand/or fused switch 10 f. One starter and/or feeder F₁, F₂ residescloser to the front cover 11 than another to allow for conductors 30from the other to pass across and/or under to the wireway W, which maybe particularly suitable for compact units.

FIGS. 3A, 3B, 4A and 4B illustrate that the two starters and/or feedersF₁, F₂ can be held side-by-side but with one closer to the cover 11 andwith the respective doors 22 being coplanar. These arrangements allowconductors 30 from one of the feeders/starters, either F₁ or F₂ to passbehind or in front of another, e.g., F₂ or F₁. FIGS. 3A and 4Aillustrate the wireway W on the right side and the left starter and/orfeeder, F₁, residing closest to the front cover 11. FIGS. 2B and 3Billustrate the wireway W on the right and the right starter and/orfeeder F₂ residing closest to the front cover 11 and the left starterand/or feeder F₁ residing closer to the back of the unit 10 (closer tothe power stabs 13). The doors 22 can be held at the same location(coplanar), aligned at a front the unit. One feeder and/or starter,shown as the left starter and/or feeder F₁ in FIG. 3B and the rightfeeder F₂ in FIG. 4A, can have a longer drive shaft 25 l than the other.

The shaft 25 (FIG. 8A, 8B) can be attached or keyed to a drive gear 42,42′ that drives a rack gear 46, 46′ (FIG. 9A, FIG. 9B), directly orindirectly, to translate rotational motion to linear motion (where arotary handle 20 is used).

The longer shaft 25 l can have a length that is between about 3 inchesto about 5 inches. The longer shaft 25 l can be between 1.5-10 times(e.g., 1.5×-10×) the length of the other shaft, e.g., about 1.5×, about2×, about 3×, about 4×, about 5×, about 6×, about 7×, about 8×, about 9×or about 10× the length of the other shaft 25. Typically the longershaft is between about 1.5× to about 5× the length of the shorter shaft.The longer shaft 25 l can be configured to have a primary shaft bodyattached to an extension that provides the additional length or may be aunitary body.

It should be noted that the wireway W may be on the left side ratherthan the right side. Also, the right side starter and/or feeder F₁ maybe positioned further away from the cover 11 and use the longer shaft 25l with the left side feeder F₂ positioned closer to the cover 11, asdiscussed above for right side wireways W.

As shown in FIGS. 3B and 4A, the two starter and/or feeders F₁, F₂ canbe positioned so that their adjacent sides of respective primary bodies10 b are closely spaced apart a lateral distance D₂. Exemplary D₂spacings are discussed below.

As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, for the offset configuration of theadjacent feeders F₁, F₂ in a respective unit 10, the spacing can beconfigured to allow the wires/conductors 30 of the front-most feeder toextend straight across the other to the vertical wireway W (load side),through a wireway space 32 without requiring any bends (e.g., a “nobend” configuration). Thus, the front 10 f of one starter or feeder,shown as F₂ in FIG. 4A, can reside a distance “D₁” behind the back orrear 10 r of the other feeder, shown as F₁. FIGS. 3B and 5C illustratethe forward most feeder or starter (right side) F₂ can be positioned sothat its front surface 10 f is a distance “D_(f)” forward of the frontsurface 10 f of the other feeder or starter F₁. The offset can have adistance D_(r) between adjacent rear surfaces 10 r of the adjacent leftside feeder or starter F₁. The conductors 30 from the left sidefeeder/starter F₁ can go straight across and behind the right sidefeeder/starter F₂ to the vertical wireway W.

D₁ and D₂ extend between a load side and a line side. The distance D₁and D₂ can be the same or different. The spacing criteria corresponds tothe NEC code for service entrance electrical spacing, e.g., 1 inchthrough air at 600V. Insulating barriers can reduce the physical spacingdistance. FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate an insulating barrier B under F₁,e.g., the trap under F₁.

As shown in FIGS. 3B, 4A and 5A, the feeder positioned furthest awayfrom the panel 11 can be positioned so that its forward or front surface10 s is a distance “D₃” away from the panel 11 (measured at either themost forward section or the slightly shorter side section). Thisdistance may vary depending on right or left side wireways W and unitrating, for example. Typically, the distance D₃ is between about 1-4inches, such as about 1 inch, about 2 inches, about 3 inches, about 4inches and any value therebetween. In some embodiments, the wireway W is4 inches deep.

As shown in FIGS. 3B, 5A, 5B, 5C and 6A, the unit 10 can have aninternal cross-wireway space 32 that can be provided as a horizontallyextending space inside a mounting bracket 32 h. The mounting bracket 32h can have a planar support surface 32 s to hold the back of the feederF₁ or F₂. The mounting bracket 32 h can have an opposing segment 32 athat attaches directly or indirectly to an outer wall of the unit 10.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate an alternate configuration of a unit 10 withthe offset dual feeders F₁, F₂. Again, one feeder (shown as F₂) ispositioned further back in the unit 10 than the other and each of therespective doors 22 can be coplanar. In this embodiment, the conductors30 of one feeder (shown as F₁) can have an “L” shaped bend as theconductors 30 turn from the feeder primary body 10 b to extend straightacross an internal wireway space 32 behind the other feeder F₂.

The lateral spacing distance D₂ between the two feeders and/or startersF₁, F₂ can be at least one inch if separated by only air. The spacingcan be less if an insulating barrier material or lower voltage rating(under 600V), for example. In some embodiments, D₂ can be between about1 inch to about 6 inches, more typically between about 1.5-6 inches,such as about 1.5 inches, about 2 inches, about 2.5 inches, about 3inches, about 3.25 inches, about 3.5 inches, about 4 inches, about 4.5inches, about 5 inches, about 5.5 inches and about 6 inches. In someembodiments, D₂ can be between about 3-6 inches, for example. Thebending guidelines for #1 AWG wire between breakers for L-shaped bendsis 3 inches. This configuration may also allow left side breakercustomer wiring.

The forward surface 10 f of the forward starter or feeder (shown as F₁in FIG. 5A and F₂ in FIG. 5C) can reside a distance D₅ away from thepanel 11 (and respective door) while the forward surface 10 f of theother feeder can reside a distance D₃ from the panel 11 (and respectivedoor 22), where D₃>D₅. The rear surface 10 r of one of the starterand/or feeder bodies 10 b can reside a distance D₄ in front of the otherrear surface 10 r. This distance is typically between about 1-3 inches,more typically about 1.5 inches.

The cross-wireway space 32 can be sufficient to allow the conductors 30to extend across to the wireway W a distance D₆ in back of the rearsurface of the feeder or starter thereat (shown as F₂ in FIG. 5A). Thisdistance is typically between about 1-4 inches. In some embodiments, D₆extends to about a full depth to the exit window 12 e in the sidewall 12s. D₆ may be about 3.5 inches. The conductor exit window 12 e can beconfigured as a cutout 12 c in the sidewall 12 s and may be one largewindow or first and second spaced apart windows.

While it is preferred that the doors 22 of each feeder or starter F₁,F₂, are coplanar in the same vertical plane, one may be stepped torecede a distance into the unit but still allow the handle 20 to bemanually accessible and externally visible with suitable electricshielding to provide a continuous barrier to the front panel 11 (notshown).

FIGS. 5B and 5C illustrate that the forward feeder (shown as F₁ in FIG.5B) can be held by a mounting bracket 33. As shown in FIG. 5B, thebracket 33 can have a length D₈ and the other mounting bracket 32 hdefining the conductor pathway 32 can have a different length D₇ (e.g.,height in the figures). FIG. 5B shows that the bracket 33 can have alarger length D₈ than the length D₇ of the mounting bracket 32 h whileFIG. 5C illustrates the opposite configuration (the length is shown as aheight dimension in the orientation in the drawing, but is a length inthe depth dimension in an operative position in the unit). The bracket33 can have an open interior gap space or through channel 33 g and maybe formed of bent or stamped sheet metal, for example. The mountingbracket 33 can have a planar surface 33 s and a segment 33 a thatattaches to the rear wall 12 w of the unit housing 12.

FIGS. 6A, 6B and 7 illustrate a side of the unit 10 with the sidewall ofthe housing 12 having a cutout 12 c to allow conductors 30 from onefeeder to extend out to the wireway W alongside, but in front of,conductors 30 from the other feeder, one set of conductors extendingthrough the internal wireway space 32, to wireway W. The primary body 10b of the starters or feeders F₁, F₂ can include (breaker) load sideterminals 35 on the same side (e.g., the right side for a right sidewireway W) with to accommodate respective customer or factory installedconductors 30.

As shown in FIGS. 8A-8D and 9A, for example, the operator mechanism 40can include a drive gear 42, a pinion gear 44, and an operator rack gear46. Generally summarized, the handle 20 via shaft 25 is keyed tointerface with the rotary drive gear 42. Drive gear 42 interactsmechanically with pinion gear 44. Pinion gear 44 also interacts with thelinearly translating moveable rack 46. Consequently, as the handle 20rotates, because it is interlocked with the drive gear 42, the drivegear 42 rotates on its axis, thus rotating the pinion gear 44, whichthen linearly moves the rack 46. The rack 46 then moves the operatorslider 52 over operator base 50 which moves to trip lever 90 as thehandle 20 moves. The operator base 50 can be stationary and affixed toan inner housing. The base 50 can have a horizontally oriented elongateslot 50 s that is aligned with a smaller slot 52 s in the operatorslider 52. The slots 50 s, 52 s cooperate to hold lever 90 (toggle) andwhen the operator slider with slot 52 s moves to the right (based onrotation of the handle 20, for example), this moves the lever 90 to theright along the path defined by slot 50 s. It is noted that the lever 90(also known as a toggle) can move laterally as shown or the circuitbreaker or fuse switch may be oriented to move vertically.

The base 50 and cooperating slider 52 can be provided in different sizeswith different length and width slots 50 s to accommodate smaller andlarger toggles or switches 90 associated with frames of differentsizes/amperage rating.

FIGS. 8A and 8B also illustrate that the shaft 25 of one starter orfeeder F₁ can have a different configuration from the other starter orfeeder F₂. That is, the door interlock 22 i can comprise a circularescutcheon 26 e for the forward feeder (shown as F₂) to interface withthe door 22 to provide the door interlock 22 i. The door interlock 22 ifor the other feeder (shown as F₂) can have a planar inwardly extendingsurface 26 f that rises above the shaft 25 and that can be configured tocooperate with the door 22 to provide the door interlock 22 i. The door22 can have an interlock defeat 22 d (FIG. 4A) that can be secured by ascrew 22 s, shown as in an upper right hand side of the door in FIGS.4A, 5B.

FIG. 8B also illustrates the front of a primary body of one starterand/or feeder F₂ can reside a distance D_(f) behind the front of aprimary body of the other starter and/or feeder F₁, although in anadjacent, side-by-side orientation.

FIG. 9B illustrates an exemplary fused disconnect switch for a bucket 10f with the drive gear 42′ in communication with a rack gear 46 thatmoves up and down or orthogonal to the rack gear 46′. This movement canengage and move a fuse switch lever or input 260 up and down for ON/OFFoperation. Exemplary fuses are FUSETRON™ 600V Class RK5 fuses (BU-SB13729) available from Cooper Bussmann Company, St. Louis, Mo. However,the design is flexible and can accommodate other fuses including thosein different classes.

Referring again to FIG. 9A, for units 10 with circuit breakers 10 c, theoperating mechanism 40 can also include a trip assist spring 43 held bypin 41 that is in communication with the rack gear 46 to assist thehandle 20 to move to a consistent OFF position when the circuit breakeris tripped. For additional description of an example of an operatormechanism and components thereof, see, e.g., U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 61/890,495 and U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/501,969, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by referenceas if recited in full herein.

The drive gears 42, 42′ of the fuse and circuit breaker 10 f, 10 c,respectively, can have the same configuration (e.g., be the samecomponent) or may have different dimensions or configurations. In someembodiments, the drive gear 46 for the operator mechanism 40 as well asfor the fuse operator (disconnect) mechanism 40′ can have gear teeththat extends less than a full circumference of the respective gear,typically the gear teeth 42 t extend for between about 9-180 degrees,more typically about 90 degrees of the circumference of the drive gear42, 42′ as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B.

FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrate exemplary lateral spacing D₂ forembodiments of the invention. In FIG. 10A, the spacing D₂ can be largerthan that of FIG. 10B to comply with NEC guidelines. In the embodimentshown in FIG. 10B, a factory wire 30 f can be pre-installed and providedwith the unit 10, attached to a terminal block 200 that is onboard theunit 10 adjacent one side of the unit, shown as adjacent the right sidefeeder F₂, so as to be accessible for onsite installation. The rightside breaker/feeder F₂ can be moved laterally inward, relative to theconfiguration shown in FIG. 10A, for example, to provide space alongsideone side of the unit to accommodate or fit the terminal block 200 insidethe housing 12 of the 10. Customer wire 30 c can connect to the terminalblock 200, thus to the left side feeder F₁. Additional customer wire canconnect directly to the adjacent right side feeder, F₂.

FIGS. 11A, 11B and 12A-12C illustrate an exemplary configuration of aterminal block 200. The terminal block 200 can be small, e.g., having aheight dimension H of between about 1-2 inches, typically about 1.5inches. The terminal block 200 can have a length dimension L of betweenabout 3-5 inches, with three conductor connections 210 closely spacedapart and aligned. The terminal block 200 can have a width dimensionbetween about 1.5-3 inches, typically about 1.75 inches. The input andoutput connections 210 are symmetrically spaced apart with adjacent(neighboring) connections 210 being about 1 inch apart. The terminalblock 200 can be a Bussmann terminal block of suitable rating. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 11C, in some particular embodiments, theterminal block 200 can be sized and configured with channels toaccommodate a largest wire size for a 125A frame breaker.

In operation, the orientation of the rotary handle 20 can provide avisual indication of the conduction status of the operator disconnect,e.g., breaker 10 c or ON/OFF switch for the fused disconnect switch 10f.

In some embodiments, if the handle 20 is in a generally horizontalposition, i.e., with the center lever 20L straight across the front ofthe circuit breaker as shown in FIG. 1, this orientation can be the OFFposition and can be visually used as an indication that the contacts ofthe circuit breaker are open and that current is blocked. If the handle20 is rotated from the orientation shown in FIG. 1, e.g., rotated 90degrees (typically clockwise from the orientation in FIG. 1), then anindication is given that the circuit contacts are closed and current isbeing conducted. The breaker trip position can be at about 45 degreesmid-point between ON and OFF. However, as noted above, the handles 20may have other configurations and are not required to be rotatinghandles.

As shown in FIG. 13, in some embodiments, when mounted in the MCCcabinet 100, the handles 20 can all substantially, if not totally,vertically align and have the same trip and/or ON/OFF positions.

Similarly, an MCC cabinet 100 can be configured so the bucket units 10all have the same handle 20 in the same position when mounted in the MCCcabinet 100 and the units 10 can have the same ON/OFF operativepositions for both fused disconnect switches and circuit breaker units101, 10 c, respectively.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example of an MCC cabinet 100 that can supportmultiple units 10 of various types 10 f, 10 c and/or of various definedsizes, typically from between 1X to 12X. Thus, the units 10 can have acompact, visually aesthetic or “clean” appearance provided by alignedhandles 20 irrespective of breaker or fused disconnect switch type 10 c,10 f and irrespective of frame size (breaker size). The same externalhandle 20 can be configured to accommodate different size gears 40,sliders 52 and different size frames (different size toggles or switches90) while providing an external similar aesthetic visual appearance witha common look of the OFF and ON positions of the handles 20 of units 10of various types.

The units 10 can have visual indicia 10 i (FIG. 9A) that indicateswhether it is a fused switch or circuit breaker type unit 101, 10 c,respectively. The visual indicia can include a label, icon, color, andthe like. In some embodiments, handles 20 can have visual indicia thatdistinguishes the type and/or size (rating) of the unit. The visualindicia can be provided with a stripe or different contrast colors for aprotruding lever, knob, handle or “T” or the underlying portion of thehandle that is externally visible.

The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to beconstrued as limiting thereof. Although a few exemplary embodiments ofthis invention have been described, those skilled in the art willreadily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplaryembodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings andadvantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications areintended to be included within the scope of this invention. Therefore,it is to be understood that the foregoing is illustrative of the presentinvention and is not to be construed as limited to the specificembodiments disclosed, and that modifications to the disclosedembodiments, as well as other embodiments, are intended to be includedwithin the scope of the invention.

1-20. (canceled)
 21. A bucket assembly, comprising: a unit housinghaving a front and a back and left and right sides extending between thefront and back; a first starter or feeder in the unit housing; a secondstarter or feeder in the unit housing, wherein the second starter orfeeder is longitudinally offset from the first starter or feeder, in afront to back direction, to reside closer to the front of the unithousing than the first starter or feeder.
 22. The bucket assembly ofclaim 21, wherein the first starter or feeder and the second starter orfeeder each have a primary body, wherein the primary body of the firststarter or feeder resides laterally spaced apart a distance of betweenabout 1-3 inches from the primary body of the second starter or feeder,measured from adjacent inwardly facing sides extending in the front toback direction.
 23. The bucket assembly of claim 21, wherein the unithousing has a longitudinally extending centerline that extends in thefront to back direction, aligned with a center power stab extending outthe back of the unit housing, and wherein an inward facing wall of aprimary body of the first starter or feeder resides closer to the centerpower stab than an inward facing wall of a primary body of the secondstarter or feeder.
 24. The bucket assembly of claim 21, wherein aprimary body of the first starter or feeder resides spaced apart in thefront to back direction from a primary body of the second starter orfeeder so that a rear surface of the primary body of the first starteror feeder is a distance of between about 1-3 inches from a front surfaceof the primary body of the second starter or feeder.
 25. The bucketassembly of claim 21, wherein the first starter or feeder is a rightside starter or feeder and the second starter or feeder is a left sidestarter or feeder, each comprising respective load side terminals, andwherein the right side of the unit housing has an open portion providingan exit access path for conductors from the first starter or feeder andthe second starter or feeder to a right side vertical wireway.
 26. Thebucket assembly of claim 21, wherein the first starter or feeder is aright side feeder and the second starter or feeder is a left sidestarter or feeder, and wherein the left side starter or feeder residescloser to the front of the unit housing than the right side starter orfeeder.
 27. The bucket assembly of claim 21, wherein the first starteror feeder is a right side feeder and the second starter or feeder is aleft side starter or feeder, and wherein the right side starter orfeeder resides closer to the front of the unit housing than the leftside starter or feeder.
 28. The bucket assembly of claim 21, wherein arespective primary body of the first and second starters or feeders havesubstantially the same size and shape and are positioned in the unithousing to be laterally offset a distance of between 0.5-3 inches andlongitudinally offset in the front to back direction between about 0.5-5inches.
 29. The bucket assembly of claim 21, wherein the first starteror feeder and the second starter or feeder are each held by a respectivefirst and second bracket attached to a rear wall of the unit housing,and wherein at least one of the first and second brackets provides alaterally extending wireway space.
 30. The bucket assembly of claim 21,wherein the first and second starters or feeders have load sideterminals facing a vertical wireway, the bucket assembly furthercomprising a first bracket attached to a rear surface of a primary bodyof the first starter or feeder, and wherein the first bracket isconfigured to define an open laterally extending space behind the firststarter or feeder that defines an internal laterally extending wirewayfor conductors attached to the second starter or feeder to thereby routethe conductors to the vertical wireway.
 31. The bucket assembly of claim21, further comprising: a first inwardly extending shaft in the unithousing in communication with the first starter or feeder; and a secondinwardly extending shaft in the unit housing and being laterally spacedapart from the first inwardly extending shaft and in communication withthe second starter or feeder, wherein the first shaft has a length thatis between about 1.5 times to about 5 times greater than the secondshaft.
 32. The bucket assembly of claim 31, wherein the first and secondstarters or feeders comprise molded case circuit breakers, and whereinthe bucket assembly further comprises first and second external handleshaving a defined ON position associated with conduction and a definedOFF position associated with non-conduction, and wherein an innerportion of the first and second shafts cooperably engage a respectivefirst and second operator mechanism that then engage a respective leveror switch of the first and second starters or feeders.
 33. The bucketassembly of claim 21, further comprising a first bracket attached to aback of the unit housing and a primary body of the first starter orfeeder and a second bracket attached to the back of the unit housing anda primary body of the second starter or feeder, and wherein the secondbracket defines a laterally extending wireway space in the unit housingextending behind the second starter or feeder for conductors attached tothe primary body of the first starter or feeder to a right or left sidevertical wireway, and wherein the second bracket has a greater depthdimension in the front to back direction than the first bracket.
 34. Acompact bucket assembly comprising: a unit housing; and right and leftside molded case circuit breakers in the unit housing, wherein themolded case circuit breakers have substantially the same size and shape,and wherein the right side circuit breaker resides closer to the frontof the unit housing than the left side circuit breaker and is mounted toa bracket that is attached to a rear of the unit housing.
 35. Theassembly of claim 34, wherein primary bodies of the right and left sidemolded case circuit breakers reside spaced apart in a front to backdirection of the unit housing so that a rear surface of one is adistance of between about 1-3 inches from a front surface of the other.36. The assembly of claim 34, wherein the right side and left sidecircuit breakers each have a lever facing a front of the unit housing,and wherein the right side circuit breaker resides on a bracket that isattached to a rear of the unit housing and places the right side circuitbreaker closer to the front of the unit housing than the left sidecircuit breaker.
 37. The assembly of claim 34, wherein the right sideand left side circuit breakers each have a lever facing a front of theunit housing, and wherein the left side circuit breaker resides on abracket that is attached to a rear of the unit housing and places theleft side circuit breaker closer to the front of the unit housing thanthe right side circuit breaker.
 38. The assembly of claim 34, whereinconductors from the left side circuit breaker travel behind the rightside circuit breaker to a right side vertical wireway through a straightconductor path extending though a bracket attached to the rear of theunit housing and a rear of the right side circuit breaker, and whereinthe right side and left side circuit breakers have a lever facing afront of the unit housing.
 39. A motor control center (MCC) cabinet withvertically stacked buckets, at least one bucket having a left side leveror switch of either a fused disconnect switch or a circuit breaker and aright side lever or switch of either a fused disconnect switch or acircuit breaker, wherein the left side lever or switch is laterallyadjacent and longitudinally offset from the right side lever or switch,in a front to back direction, to reside closer to the front or rear ofthe unit housing than the right side lever or switch.
 40. The MCCcabinet of claim 39, wherein the cabinet comprises a right side verticalwireway, wherein the at least one bucket comprises a right side moldedcase circuit breakers with the right side lever or switch and a leftside molded case circuit breaker with the left side lever or switch,each of the right and left side molded case circuit breakers havingsubstantially the same size and shape and adjacent inner sidewalls thatare laterally spaced apart a distance that is between about 0.5-3 inchesand longitudinally offset in a front to back direction between about0.5-5 inches, and further comprises conductors attached to terminals ofa right side of the left side circuit breaker and that travel behind theright side circuit breaker to the right side vertical wireway.